Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Astrobiology
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ASTRONOMY, ASTROPHYSICS, AND ASTROBIOLOGY JOINT HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE & SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION July 12, 2016 Serial No. 114–87 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 20–916PDF WASHINGTON : 2017 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HON. LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas, Chair FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., ZOE LOFGREN, California Wisconsin DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois DANA ROHRABACHER, California DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas ERIC SWALWELL, California MO BROOKS, Alabama ALAN GRAYSON, Florida RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois AMI BERA, California BILL POSEY, Florida ELIZABETH H. ESTY, Connecticut THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky MARC A. VEASEY, Texas JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma KATHERINE M. CLARK, Massachusetts RANDY K. WEBER, Texas DONALD S. BEYER, JR., Virginia JOHN R. MOOLENAAR, Michigan ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado STEPHEN KNIGHT, California PAUL TONKO, New York BRIAN BABIN, Texas MARK TAKANO, California BRUCE WESTERMAN, Arkansas BILL FOSTER, Illinois BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia GARY PALMER, Alabama BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana DRAIN LAHOOD, Illinois WARREN DAVIDSON, Ohio SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE HON. BRIAN BABIN, Texas, Chair DANA ROHRABACHER, California DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma AMI BERA, California MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas ZOE LOFGREN, California MO BROOKS, Alabama ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado BILL POSEY, Florida MARC A. VEASEY, Texas JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma DONALD S. BEYER, JR., Virginia STEVE KNIGHT, California EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas WARREN DAVIDSON, Ohio LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HON. BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia, Chair FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas ELIZABETH H. ESTY, Connecticut RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois KATHERINE M. CLARK, Massachusetts JOHN R. MOOLENAAR, Michigan PAUL TONKO, New York BRUCE WESTERMAN, Arkansas SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon GARY PALMER, Alabama ERIC SWALWELL, California RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas DARIN LAHOOD, Illinois LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas (II) C O N T E N T S July 12, 2016 Page Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Brian Babin, Chairman, Subcommittee on Space, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Rep- resentatives ........................................................................................................... 4 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 6 Statement by Representative Donna F. Edwards, Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Space, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................................ 8 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 10 Statement by Representative Barbara Comstock, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................................ 12 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 14 Statement by Representative Lamar S. Smith, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ..................... 16 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 17 Written statement submitted by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ranking Member, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .................................................................................... 20 Witnesses: Dr. Paul Hertz, Director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 23 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 25 Dr. Jim Ulvestad, Director, Division of Astronomical Sciences, NSF Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 31 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 33 Dr. Angela Olinto, Chair, Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC), and Homer J. Livingston Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 39 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 41 Dr. Shelly Wright, Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego, Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Breakthrough Listen Advisory Committee Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 48 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 50 Dr. Christine Jones, Senior Astrophysicist, Smithsonian Astrophysical Ob- servatory,President, American Astronomical Society Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 59 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 61 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 73 (III) IV Page Appendix I: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Dr. Paul Hertz, Director, Astrophysics Division, NASA ....................................... 94 Dr. Jim Ulvestad, Director, Division of Astronomical Sciences, NSF ................. 115 Dr. Angela Olinto, Chair, Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC), and Homer J. Livingston Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago ................... 134 Dr. Shelly Wright, Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego, Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Breakthrough Listen Advisory Committee ............................................................................................................. 139 Dr. Christine Jones, Senior Astrophysicist, Smithsonian Astrophysical Ob- servatory, President, American Astronomical Society ...................................... 144 Appendix II: Additional Material for the Record Documents submitted by Representative Brian Babin, Chairman, Sub- committee on Space, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .................................................................................... 156 ASTRONOMY, ASTROPHYSICS, AND ASTROBIOLOGY TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2016 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE & SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, D.C. The subcommittees met, pursuant to call, at 10:11 a.m., in Room 2318, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Brian Babin [Chairman of the Subcommittee on Space] presiding. (1) 2 3 4 Chairman BABIN. The Subcommittees on Space and Research and Technology will come to order. Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare recesses of the subcommittees at any time. Welcome to today’s hearing entitled ‘‘Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Astrobiology.’’ And now, I recognize myself for five minutes for an opening statement. The science of astronomy, astrophysics, and astrobiology expands mankind’s understanding of the universe. It seeks to answer funda- mental questions as to the nature of our universe, our place within it, and whether there is life beyond Earth. NASA has a long history of space-based astrophysics and astro- nomical science. Since the 1960s, NASA has operated space-based observatories. Among the most famous of these are the Hubble Space Telescope, which has produced some of the clearest images of the universe to date. The Hubble Space Telescope became the first of NASA’s four Great Observatories, which aimed to observe the universe over the entire electromagnetic spectrum and would go on to include the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope. Looking to the future, the James Webb Space Telescope or JWST is set to launch in 2018. This will be the most powerful space-based observatory to date and will be used to search for planets outside of our solar system that could harbor life. In my own district at Johnson Space Center, in Houston, NASA’s historic Chamber A thermal vacuum testing chamber will be used for